Smoothie Factory Juice Bar, a leading retailer of real fruit smoothies, fresh cold-squeezed juices, and nutritional products, enjoyed a record year for growth and development in 2014, adding 20 new locations for a total of 52 locations under its new parent company, BRIX Holdings, LLC.

Meatheads will be offering a special hot dog on its menu this spring, the Bickell Dog, created in honor of Chicago Blackhawks Left Winger Bryan Bickell, his wife Amanda, and their charity, the Bryan and Amanda Bickell Foundation. The foot-long Vienna Beef hot dog is topped with chili and Fritos...

Recent severe weather has many operators nervous about the potential effects on commodity prices. But Dewayne Dove, vice president of risk management for SpenDifference, a chain restaurant purchasing cooperative, says there might be some relief ahead for operators.

Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop announced the upcoming arrival of their first-ever Illinois location, broadening the company’s national presence to 17 states and federal districts. Franchisees Andy Poch and Craig Garofalo will be operating the new restaurant, projected to open in late 2015.

Rodney Harper has been eating Dickey's Barbecue Pit since he was a little kid, and now at the age of 61, he'll bring a barbecue tradition to Palm Springs, California. The first Dickey's Barbecue location in Palm Springs opens on February 12 at 11 a.m. with a three-day grand opening.

When Lori Newcomb found out she had stage III ovarian cancer last year, she made it her mission to learn more about the disease and help other women fighting the same battle. She sat down with her husband, Chris Newcomb, cofounder and CEO of Southern quick-service chain Newk’s Eatery, and together...

When fast-casual chain Zoës Kitchen Inc. debuted on the New York Stock Exchange last April, the Plano, Texas–based Mediterranean-style eatery recorded its initial public offering at $87.5 million. Satisfying an investor appetite for investments within the trendy fast-casual space, Zoës’ strong...

Convenience stores are increasingly taking a larger slice out of the quick-serve pie with fresh food offerings. It’s become such a lucrative business for C-stores that Sheetz, the Pennsylvania-based C-store chain that this week opened its 500th location, is planning stores designed more as fast...

While the fast-casual category continues to be the fastest-growing industry sector, the road in 2015 will be bumpy. We will see constant change and challenges around every corner. For industry leaders, there are issues that will keep even the most seasoned executive awake at night.
Here is my top...

Though U.S. consumption is well below other proteins today, seafood will likely be an increasingly important part of the American diet in the years to come. The country’s population is predicted to grow by 89 million between 2010 and 2050 to 401 million people. More people require more food—and...

Kevin Kester’s family has been farming in the U.S. for generations. And it’s not just a couple of generations they’ve been farming; more like generations upon generations, way back to the 1600s, specifically in California since the 1860s. Today, Kester owns a 22,000-acre beef cattle ranch in...